Chiefs announce Cassel deal

As expected, the Kansas City Chiefs have announced that quarterback Matt Cassel has agreed to a contract extension.

No details have been provided by the club. We’ve heard that it’s a five-year extension (making it a six-year deal), worth more than $60 million.

“We are excited to be able to reach a long-term agreement for Matt Cassel to be a Kansas City Chief for many years to come,” owner Clark Hunt said. “His proven leadership on and off the field will be a tremendous asset to the organization.”

“Since Matt arrived in Kansas City, he has embraced the team and the community,” G.M. Scott Pioli said. “His work ethic, his athletic ability and his competitive presence is what we expect from our players.”

Though the contract was executed one day before the July 15 deadline for signing franchise players to long-term deals, we’ve confirmed that the deadline did not apply to Cassel, for the reasons we explained last night.

As we understand, the team and the player wanted to get it done as soon as possible, and the timing in relation to the July 15 deadline was coincidental.

Still, even if there were only a five-percent chance that Article XX, Section 2(k) applies to Cassel, why take the risk of being wrong?